Never Goodbye
by rambeautan
Summary: Hange Zoe is a scientist with the Survey Legion, responsible for protecting the Fritz Empire and it's subjects, one of humanity's surviving galaxy empire housed in a man made planet system. 'Wall' Maria, Sina and Rose are three layers of galactic defense protecting humans against the alien Titan.
1. I dreamt that you died last night

_**Hello there, this was written in conjunction with Levihan Spook-fest 2017. So for the first week the prompts are as below and I chose the dreams/nighmare prompt for this week. Since there are five prompts I decided to write a five chapter story as my contribution.**_

 _ **Prompt : Week 1 : i)horror movies ii)dreams/nightmares iii)fog**_

 _ **Rules: Tag your stuff as #levihan, #levihan spook fest, #levihanweek**_

* * *

This is going to be a five chapter story and maybe with an epilogue to tie things up. It's Levihan time!

Hange had wailed at the sight of her alien specimen disintegrate into steam and wafted into the galaxy. However when she remembered that she had at least managed to take photographs of the alien's severed finger the size of her palm, she quieted down and began sobbing. She knew that the alien's main body was now badly injured which caused it's finger to disintegrate. There was so much alien things she needed to discover but the alien they called titan was easily damaged so it was crucial she collect data as soon as she could.

Behind her Levi kept the alien or Titan badly injured but alive by keeping on the defense instead of offense. Levi kept the titan alive as Hange examined its finger in the background. But then Commander Keith Shadis had arrived abruptly and upon seeing the absurd scene ordered that the Titan be killed off instantly. Hange had begged for the Titan to be kept in lock up for her to examine further but the Titan proved to be too tough to be capture after it was injured and Commander Shadis did not want any casualties for the sake of science. So Levi upon Shadis' order had sliced the Titan's nape and killing it and along with Hange's specimen too.

The whole shenanigan lasted about an hour and Hange was punished for prolonging an attack longer than necessary. She was put on pribation by being shipped to Stohess Universitt for the remainder of the year. She had pleaded with Captain Erwin and Commander Shadis but they maintained that she was out of line this time and they had no expenses for science experiments this year and told her to come back early next year.

Hange had only notebooks and photos from the experiment. That was a few months ago and Hange was looking forward to return to Shiganshina, the planet near wall Maria starting next year. She had only a few weeks left to stay here and she was already storing her things in the metal storage she was shipping to Shiganshina prior to her trip back there. Her few months probation here at Stohess had made Hange more determined about researching the Titans, a race of enlarged humanoid creatures who made eating humans as a hobby.

The scientist was reminiscing her memories months ago while closing her experiments she was finishing at Stohess University. She would certainly miss the days of lecturing her students on Titan biology which was never a part of the curriculum anyway. The Vice Chancellor of the University had reprimanded her for always being out of topic but she was just reprimanded, as her students had good scored in the final examination last week. Hange had handed in her resignation letter and expected that the VC will not miss her, but instead the VC had welcomed her back should she find her duties at Shiganshina boring.

Hange had vowed to follow the rule this time and not succumb to her love of Titan knowledge to overpower her like before.

Hange opened her communication tablet which everyone affectionately calls the comm tab, and proceeded to check her emails. She rarely ever emails Levi knowing that her former colleague would only read and reply to it later. But she did not care as Levi sould always reply to her unlike her other colleagues.

.

 _To : levi_

 _From : hangezoe_

 _Hey,_

 _I missed you and the Titans. I hope you can meet me up when i return as it's less than a fortnight to 2854, and I am returning to Shiganshina. I won't be able to celebrate new year there since Commander S told me that my probation ended this year, and tickets were sold out on New Year. Hey, I just remembered that your birthday is just round the corner, so how are you celebrating then? Anyways hope you have a nice birthday and see you soon._

 _Hange_

 _._

Hange closed her comm tablet and packed her things into her bag. A soak in the bathtub would be a good way to prepare for the end of the day. Hange got up and strapped the bag onto her body and stretched. She left her room where she works at coming with weekly teaching plans and headed for home. She was taking this easy the teaching thing. It was mainly because the day had come and she would be back to being the junior scientist at Wall Maria, dabbling in Titan science and getting her hands dirty with blood and sweat while discovering which she had sorely missed.

"Hange Captain, wake up the Titan had regenerated and is escaping!" someone screamed into her ears. Hange woke up and found herself asleep in her laboratory's desk. She immediately perked at the mention of titan and turned back to see where the titan could be. She had not been touching a titan for months … Suddenly she felt her body being kicked into a corner but before she could land someone caught her and they swung away outside of the building.

The man made sun was shining brightly and Hange was elated to discover that she was back at Shiganshina. The someone who had grabbed her quickly pushed her aside.

"Late nights again Hange? Your shitty ears never heard the titan alarm?" the person said.

Hange landed on grass and turned to have a better look at the person and locked eyes with a pair of grey eyes which looked pointedly for a few seconds at her before flying away. Hange was relieved to see that it was Levi and proceeded to shout at him, "Kill em all this time, I won't be needing a specimen."

She looked at Levi as the lieutenant launched himself into the air with rockets fitted into his sides. He had laser blades in his hands and activated them as he landed on the titan's neck. Hange had greatly learned from her past behaviour to always listen to orders and watched as the titan still in chains ran amok at the Survey Legion.

Levi flew and chucked his blades into the titan's eyes blinding the alien. The blue skinned alien which Hange estimated to be at least a 15 metres class covered its wounded eyes with its hands. Hange cheered for Levi to finish it off. At the back of her mind she was sighing that another specimen is loss but this titan would be more difficult to handle when injured so better to kill it off.

So Levi as usual spun his blades around and aimed straight for the nape and Hange watched with wide eyes as the Titan took away one of its hand from its eye and smacked Levi away. Levi nearly got hit but his awesome reflex enabled him to escape in time. Hange clapped her hands in nervousness, the titan can't be that quick without its sight and while injured right? She did not know much about abnormal titan like this so she could only wish that Levi was fast as usual. But the titan turned around as if it saw levi flying away and grabbed Levi's foot with its other hand and smashed Levi into the ground. In a swift second it stomped Levi with its feet and the other soldiers come attacking right after.

Hange couldn't believe her eyes at the fact that the puddle of gore was Levi. Levi was dead, hailed as humanity's strongest, and he was defeated just like that by a lab titan. The other soldiers quickly attacked the titan, shooting its hands and legs in a group attack. Hange ran to the spot she last saw Levi being stomped and saw his body, flat on the earth and blood everywhere. She knelt beside the body, she tried to look for the eyes she had looked at earlier, where were they? But in the bloody mess she could only see bloodied Survey Legion uniform and matted hair. Someone was shouting and Hange breathed hard, she looked above and saw the titan foot coming fast at her and….

* * *

Hange splashed in her bathtub and got soap and bubbles in her eyes. She quickly wiped away the soap and looked around and she was no longer in the fields at Shiganshina, she was back at her room in Stohess. It took a few seconds for Hange to get back to reality and realized that she was not dreaming. She slinked back into the bath tub and realized that she had fell asleep and it was all a dream. Hange lifted her body up and grabbed for her comm tab and wiped away at the layer of water covering the monitor. She looked around and saw that her bathtub walls were quite dirty and made a mental note to hire help to clean her bathroom before she left Stohess. There was a notification on her email apps and quickly opened it.

Her lips curved into a smile as she saw that Levi had replied to her. She looked at the time and saw that Levi's shift must have just ended.

.

 _To : hangezoe_

 _From : levi_

 _Shitty glasses,_

 _Do you still wear those glasses or have you had lasik? The titans were missing you too. Good to know you are coming back, grab some Stohess organic tea for me if you are able. I am celebrating my birthday with Kenny just staying at home._

 _Captain Levi._

 _._

She leaned back into her bathtub and closed her eyes. She was relieved to know that Levi was alive in reality, he was humanity's strongest after all so the only time he would be dead now would only be in her dreams.

Hange opened her eyes and rubbed the place beside her nose bridge where her glasses usually rested, she was never ever going to wear contact lenses nor resort to lasik for now. She was only 29 and glasses never bothered her so far, not when she was experimenting on titan at Maria nor while she was leading a boring life here at Stohess. She did not want to admit to Levi that she was missing the Shitty Glasses nickname he had for her, though she was sure it was more an insult rather than a fond nickname. But she did not care, as long as Levi was alive and wanting to be her friend, she was ok. He was the only who sometimes let her experiment on field, letting her inspect titan parts while he battled them. His only condition was that no one was going to get killed in the process so she usually found herself experimenting on the last titan alive.

She smiled as she thought about returning to titan science again and this time she was going through the right channel. Taking her away from the titan knowledge was the best punishment for her and she was sure the next time she broke the rules she would probably end up as a school teacher in Sina, which in Hange's diary is a nightmare.

Closing her eyes she dipped into the now cold bath water and let her mind wander for a bit. But then something struck her.

 _Kenny?_

Hange frowned as she asked herself out loud, "Kenny? Who's that?" She put aside her comm tab back on the wet bathtub wall and wondered. She had been friends with Levi for a few years but never knew anyone from his life named Kenny. It must be a relative, but so far she never heard Levi having any family and knew that he was an orphan from the Underground, a planet on the other side of the Wall Maria circle where former prisoners reside. Kenny could also be a boyfriend, Hange thought. That made her realize something, Levi was capable of love… Oh? Hange smiled and thought what type of boyfriend would Levi be to his significant other. She got out of the bath with that thought in mind and thought about the moments when Levi was particularly concerned about her, like telling her to bathe constantly, he would definitely be a freaking clean boyfriend. Hange snickered and grabbed her comm tab and made a note to buy Levi a few packs of Stohess tea as souvenir.


	2. A little germaphobia on the side

**Prompt : Week 2 : i) gore/blood ii) fears/phobias iii) party**

 **Rules: Tag your stuff as #levihan, #levihan spook fest, #levihanweek #week 2**

* * *

Isabel, Levi's 18 year old sister, entered her kitchen and was instantly wowed by the gleaming kitchen countertop, wall and floor.

It was not this clean when I left it this morning, she thought.

Usually the colours of the wall and marble counter top was off white, and the floor a dark grey, and also covered in oil and grime. Isabel placed a finger on the table top and dragged it against the smooth clean counter. She glanced at the stove area, at the sink and the drying rack and found everything to be equally clean and sparkling. Isabel made a mental note to buy some pot coasters the next time she visit town.

Then she turned around to exit the kitchen got another surprise in the form of a slightly taller brother leaning on the wall of the kitchen's entrance.

"See that you have been busy with life and not doing any cleaning," the brother commented.

Isabel replied by jumping him, "Ahh it's good to see you too!"

Her brother smiled as he patted the girl on her back just before she let go.

"Thank you Aniki for helping m, I am so super busy and in the middle of my final examination and only will be free next week. Hey, at least I did a lot of cooking at home instead of eating out and spending money." Isabel then placed her hands on Levi's shoulders and turned him around, "For your hard work let me make you tea. Go sit in the front."

Seeing that her brother did as told she re-entered the kitchen to make tea. Isabel lived with her other adopted brother, 20 year old Farlan who went to Shiganshina Vocational College after signing up with the Reserve Army. They had followed Levi since they were his legal 'children' to take advantage of the free education and house provided by the army. Despite Shiganshina being among the nearest planet to human's protective wall where danger lurks everyday, life in Shiganshina was pretty good. Though they were Levi's legally adopted children, Isabel and Farlan saw him as their big brother.

After she was finished preparing a pot of tea, she placed the pot on a tray with three sets of cups and plates and headed out.

"Levi, Aniki, how's the security at Maria?" Isabel asked as she set down the tray on the table and began pouring a cup for Levi. She missed calling his name and if she wasn't way younger than Levi she would've called him by name, but at the same time calling him Aniki makes her feel loved and protected.

Levi rolled his eyes as he answered her, "Same old, same old, with a dash of shitty Titan every few months."

Levi eyed the tea, he was picky with his tea preparation but he trusted Isabel to know his preferences.

"They don't know how to quit those stupid titans, how many usually?" Isabel asked.

"Usually only a small ship with twenty or less Titans. The big Titan ships had not come for years, the last time since I joined the army, that was six years ago according to Captain Erwin."

Isabel didn't know much about Titan, never seen a book on it nor having experience fighting it. But she had seen the Scouting Legion recruitment video to know that they were larger than human, naked, acts stupid and had no genitals. It was also a curiosity of hers how the Titan managed to not breathe before entering Wall Maria's atmosphere.

"How are school and training?" Levi asked as he sipped his tea. As citizens nearest to Wall Maria, Isabel and Farlan had to go to training as they were all drafted into the Reserve Army upon turning 15. However their training hours were much less than Levi's.

"Training's fun, and school is alright. I managed to get a B+ average. Anyway, we are training on the 3DMG this week and passed the beginner's stage with flying colours. It's hard to pretend to be a newbie at 3DMG."

Levi smiled as he reminisced the secret training he did with Isabel and Farlan. Civilians weren't allowed to handle the 3DMG but Levi had special clearance as a high ranking officer so he brought his home. He wanted his loved ones to be able to use them in case the Reserve Army were called into duty.

As the siblings chat about other mundane things the main door to the two room apartment opened and Farlan walked in. "Levi, you're home. How's the journey?"

"Farlan, you're just in time. Come have tea," Isabel cut his question with an invitation to eaT.

Farlan set down his bag on a low table and lifted a plastic bag in his hand, "And I also brought cake when I received the message that our beloved brother is back."

"Great, I even prepared a knife and plates already. Wash your hands first," Isabel said cheerfully.

Farlan deposited the cake on the table and bowed down to give Levi a quick hug before entering the kitchen. Isabel looked fondly at her two brothers and realized that moments like these were rare. Ever since she came to know Levi and Farlan, they had depended on each other until Aniki was acquired by the military. Instead of staying back they followed him. Isabel noticed that Levi was looking at her with a questioning look, so she decided to entertain his concern with something else.

"My friends wondered if I have germaphobia after I kept asking people to wash their hands before touching my food. It's good to practice hygiene right Aniki? I wasn't being picky, they were acting gross constantly touching my food instead of just picking one and eating it. They all tasted the same coming from the same batch of cooking," Isabel said as she began cutting the cake.

"Tchhh, just find new ones if they can't appreciate being clean. If they see the state of your kitchen that's proof enough that you don't have germaphobia," Levi said.

Isabel laughed, her Aniki instead has some level of germaphobia always washing his hands multiple times if there were a sink and soap nearby. But she doubted that Aniki actually had germaphobia since he never minded touching dirty things when the situation needed it. She had heard Farlan telling her about Levi holding a seriously injured soldier's hand when they needed comfort, how Farlan knew that she was not sure. He was a great captain and Isabel knew she and Farlan would emulate him when they are finally soldiers themselves, always respect your comrades no matter how shitty the situation is.

Talking about comrades, Isabel remembered one of Levi's colleagues from the army though it had been years ago. Actually she met the colleague almost a decade ago, when Isabel and Farlan were still children. They came to visit Levi during his early years at Wall Maria during an open day there. She remembered that colleague because she was the only person who acknowledged them. At the time they were waiting for lunch being prepared but since there were so many visitors they had to wait outside under the hot sun. A soldier wearing a lab coat with army tag approached them and praised Levi for his awesome 3DMG skill despite being a newbie. The person saw how thirsty Isabel was and apologized for not being able to provide them a bottle of water but instead handed her a pack of candy. The sugary stuff had perked up little hungry Isabel.

"Tell us about your life over there Aniki, it's always about us here first. We are leading a good life here, now I want to know about your life there. How's that girlfriend of yours from the military?

Levi being meticulous about information quickly realized they were talking about none other than, "You mean Hange? That's a long time ago you."

Isabel instantly remembered the name from her buried memory, "Yeah, Miss Hange Zoe. Is she still around? I've got a jumbo pack in my room."

Levi couldn't tell them about Hange currently being grounded after breaking army laws a few months ago so he settled on telling them a modified version of her current status.

"She is at Stohess Uni lending her expertise there. She'll be back after her stint there ends which is right around January," he said.

"Oh, if we ever go there again I wanna visit her, or maybe she could come here. But she has family she wants to celebrate new year with right?"

Farlan walked into the room and sat down with them. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"I was asking Aniki about Miss Zoe, the nice one with candy from Aniki's unit."

Farlan didn't quite remember who Miss Zoe since it was long time ago but he remembered the candy which became Isabel's fave candy until now. He just nodded at Isabel and picked up a slice of cake and asked, "How's the cake?"

"I don't know, let's taste it," Levi said as he picked one and took a bite. He chewed it and swallowed while Isabel and Farlan scrutinized his face. "It does not smell or taste like crap," he said smiling.

"The bakery is well known for its cleanliness, and it's only an ordinary sponge cake which I hadn't eaten for a long time," Farlan replied before biting into his.

Isabel saw the smile forming on Levi's face and saw how Levi's tired face had relaxed compared to when she saw him first in the kitchen looking sleep deprived and tense. She then looked at Farlan and saw him already on his second piece of cake, and happiness settled in her heart. She smiled at how easy and sweet the moment was. Levi was here and would be for the next two weeks since he is on his quarter year break. She would definitely cherish this moment until his next visit in another few months.

* * *

Levi looked at his family adoringly. It didn't matter that he adopted them in the most unconventional way. He met them twelve years ago at a detention center in the underworld. They were held for questioning regarding a syndicate but was soon released when the real culprits were caught. By the time they were released, Isabel's and Farlan's foster families had fled the underground for somewhere else and left them homeless. Levi had bonded with them and offered his house and so they lived together working odd jobs together.

In the Underworld, Levi worked as a dispatcher delivering questionable parcels for anonymous parties. That was his main job among other errands until the army came to the underground and proceeded to lower the high crime rates by detaining almost everyone. And fate destined Captain Erwin to meet Levi there. After seeing Levi using the 3DMG to escape, he caught up with him after a few struggles and offered Levi to lend his skills with the Survey Legion in exchange for a clean slate. Erwin also suggested that Levi legally adopt Isabel and Farlan so they could receive benefits as family of a military personnel. So at 23 Levi legally became adopted father to Isabel and Farlan. But as they had known him when he was way younger they were more familiar in addressing him as a brother compared to a father figure. However Levi's love for them was boundless regardless of how they see him, as a brother or a father.

When his mother died Levi did not feel much, he was aware of her death as death was a constant occurrence where they live. She had not woken up from her bed for weeks and he was only feeding from the left overs of their neighbours who also had little to none. Levi at age 9 was aware that his mom hadn't worked for weeks and people kept coming to their room asking for payments. No one wanted to take him in since his mother promised to pay them back soon, and Levi was looking too frail to be someone's workers anyway. People thought he was five when he was almost nine at the time, he was physically small from lack of nutrition and Kuchel was a petite woman.

Then one day his mother didn't move at all nor did she make any sound and Levi knew then she was finally gone. Not long after a man came and he seemed to know Levi's mother. He took Levi away after paying a sum to Levi's mother's boss. Levi didn't know what they did to her body or whether she had a funeral ceremony, but Kenny promised that he erected a tombstone for his mother which he could visit later. So losing family member wasn't a new issue with Levi, he just preferred for it to not happen again. Now his siblings had enlisted with the Reserve Army so even if he did not like it he had to accept it. Sending them back to the Underground was not a choice since they were leading a fulfilling life albeit a hazardous existence in Shiganshina.

After tea Levi retreated to Farlan's room, as Farlan insisted on it saying that Levi really needed to sleep for the next week. Farlan bunked in front of the TV armed with layers of comforters. They had seen Levi's eye bags and preferred that he rest well during his break. Levi couldn't say no to the overwhelming love his family was giving him and obliged. He was home.

Levi entered Farlan's room where his adopted brother had already placed a fresh sheet on his bed along with Levi's old pillows. Levi smiled at the teenager's room with posters of race ships on the wall and a study table full of unorganized mess. He sighed and walked to the table to arrange the books and pieces of paper into a more peaceful looking arrangement. He decided to spring clean the apartment properly the next morning since it was a Sunday and his siblings were home. He would reward them with nice home cooked meals for the next week. He had also planned to teach Farlan some simple recipes since Isabel was getting tired of being the only one able to cook between the two of them. Farlan usually preferred to pack food from the stalls outside which Levi deemed unclean.

As Levi further planned his off days so ahead of time he saw Isabel's favourite candy on Farlan's bedside table. He picked it up and inspected it closer and it reminded him of Hange. Hange always offered the candy to him when they were sitting in a long ass meeting. She was one of a kind he thought, somedays annoying as hell but most days a good companion to have around. She was intelligent and she was a bundle of energy. Since they worked side by side in the Scouting Legion for a decade now, Levi trusted her.

Hange Zoe started as a scientist with the Scouting Legion, but since could handle the fighting side of the legion she signed up as a soldier and underwent training. She had always taken extraordinary measures to collect data for her Titan study, which was backed by Squad Leader Erwin and Commander Keith though they often ran out of funds because of political agenda. The day Hange decided to perform her experiment on the ground was the day Keith and Erwin came back from another emergency budget cut. Since she broke army laws and her being there was redundant, Commander Keith shipped her to Stohess Uni both as an example and punishment. It was also a cost cutting measure as during relative peacetime when Titan attacks were rare budget cuts were frequent. Levi had not thought about Hange for a while now. He then remembered his comm tab and fetched it from his backpack.

It turned out that Hange had sent him an email while he was cleaning the kitchen. He read the email and replied to her. He had not communicated with her for awhile and wondered if she had ditched her shitty glasses and turn into one of the proper looking lecturers. He doubted she changed much physically since she was a lazy ass in the grooming department. He wondered whether she will return to Wall Maria with changes in her attitude, but he hoped that she had not changed much. He liked her just the way she was, intelligent but organized mess at the same time, he missed nagging at her filthiness, and in the quiet of Farlan's room he admitted that he kind of missed her now that he had time to think peacefully. Should he send her something from Shiganshina? No, he thought it was better to ask her for souvenir from Stohess. He heard that the tea there was good.


	3. Hello my friend, we meet again

_**I am mighty late but I am still on with this**_

 _ **Prompts: Week**_ **3 : science fiction**

 _ **Rules: Tag**_ **your stuff as #levihan, #levihan spook fest, #levihanweek**

* * *

It was a few days before New Year's Eve when Hange emailed Levi once more. It was the morning of 29th December and she was in her quarter with boxes all around her.

.

 _To : levi_

From : _hangezoe stohessuniversity..edu_

 _Birthday boy!_

 _Happy birthday shortie, I haven't called you that for a long time now. I missed all of Maria and can't wait to return. See you next year and I'll take you out to a belated birthday lunch. See ya._

 _Hange_

 _._

Hange smiled as she sent the email while sitting sprawled on the floor of her University living quarters surrounded with boxes of her things. She had not changed her email but that was the least of her concerns. Right now she was packing which had been happening for the past week, and that occupied her mind. So she only remembered that it was Levi's birthday when her communication tab bleeped a reminder. She knew that Levi wouldn't mind her lateness as through the years she had known him, he was never excited about his own birthday. On the other hand even though the man would probably be off cleaning on his own birthday rather than go out to celebrate it, Hange still wanted to make an effort on her part. She put aside her comm tab and crawled over to a box to reach for a wrapped box and smiled at it. The box wrapped in festive red was a tea set for her beloved friend who was a tea freak. She would be handing it to him upon arrival if he was there to greet her, if not she would have to travel to his room up at the soldiers section. Hange was not sure what her position would be when she returned, actually she did not mind at all about her position since what mattered most that she was returning. This time she would make sure that she would adhere to the regulations, though this time she was sure that Commander Shadis would keep a closer eye on her. She did not mind at all.

For the past week Hange was busy preparing for her departure. She already handed her resignation note formally to the Vice Chancellor of Stohess in early December, and the Vice Chancellor invited her to come back if she ever found herself redundant at Maria. Hange found herself nodding though her mind reminded her that she would never ever make herself redundant at Maria. Her temporary goodbye was painful enough and she did not desire another even when Stohess was a wonderful place to be as a scientist.

The next day Hange met with the lecturers who would be continuing with her classes and experiments. Most of her experiments were on the thrivability of plants and fungus in Stohess on new Fritz Empire planets. The rulers were creating new sustainable habitats near Stohess and wanted to grow plants on them before moving humans and animals there. They needed to expand as the population of Stohess was increasing when the Titan attack decreased.

And then at the end of each day Hange's students and colleagues treated her to farewell dinners. Hange had felt a twinge of regret about not bonding with her colleague outside of work, but since she arrived in Stohess she kept her mind on returning to Maria and therefore had kept her socializing with them mostly work related. However despite that she was relieved that their farewell ended on a good note. In her mind the excitement of returning back to Maria eclipsed everything else.

Hange sat crossed leg on the floor as she placed Levi's gift back in the box. She looked at her things, there were about twelve boxes. The scientist knew she couldn't bring everything to Maria 4, or Maria 4 Military Space Station as her emailed had stated. Since her departure the government had added another three space station up at Wall Maria to spread out their troops along the orbits of Maria. Hange was glad to check with her former colleague that luckily Levi was stationed there too.

Up there she would only need her identity pass, comm tab and some change of clothes for the first few days. She reminded herself that she would need to apply for a new military pass since hers was outdated already. Of the twelve box, three contained her books and noted to be donated to Stohess University's library, two contained gifts from her colleagues and would be kept in storage, three were things she had to donate to charity, while four were the only clothes and things she were allowed to bring to Maria 4.

Returning to Maria would mean recovering her rights to use the lab facility. She wondered if Maria 4 were designed like her old space station. It would not have any window to keep the scientists work safe from prying eyes. Hange used to hole herself for hours in the lab looking at specimen's cells and what nots. Levi would come every other day to force her to eat or bathe, depending on whether she was needed at a meeting or a briefing.

Hange rights as a Military Scientist was restored but she wondered to what extent. What were the science experiments she could carry this time around, would Shadis be planting closed circuit cameras in the laboratories to monitor her? She wondered how far would her superiors scrutinise her. She was certain that the new laboratories would be better than Stohess' facility, therefore departing Stohess for Maria was a farewell she didn't mind. It also meant getting her hands on Titan specimen even if they would be regulated.

Hange knew her banishment to Stohess wasn't merely a punishment but also a budgetary issue. The government cuts whenever possible and even in Stohess the issue of dwindling scientific funds hung over the lecturers head. But with the coming new year budgets were coming in and scientists were hired back by the droves.

Hange continued to pack her things and when she decided that she had enough for the day she put aside the things so she would have space to reach the bathroom and kitchen and made her way. She grabbed her towel and while on the way to the bathroom smelled her brown locks and found herself cringing at the smell. If Levi was here he would be forcing her to go to the saloon and wash her hair if she was too occupied to properly bathe. And the moment she was finished with her work for the day Levi would be standing by her door to make sure she gets back to her room to soak in a bath.

Sometimes Hange wondered if Levi was a babysitter in a former life, or maybe a caretaker, he seemed so determined to make sure that Hange's hygiene status was up to his standards. It was not like they were in a war, but working in an air conditioning lab made Hange state of bathing take number four in her daily regime. This was frowned upon by Sir Clean-Freak Levi who disapproved of it. Hange laughed at that fact and made her merry to bathe for the second time of the week.

* * *

" _Thank you for boarding passenger carrier Heaven Maria, I am Mike Zacharias your captain speaking, with Captain Nanaba here, we will arrive in Maria in forty five minutes. Please make sure your personal things are kept secure in pouches by the seats, as departure will cause them to become mobile and be a harmful threat while we travel. Our officers will help you keep them secure while we prepare for flight."_

Hange noted two voices from the announcement and tugged on her already on safety belts which was covering her chest and thigh. They were created to keep passengers remain seated as the passenger carrier jets to Maria from Stohess Spaceport and become a little afloat with less gravity.

Hange fiddled with her ticket and read the tiny text on it. It said that from Maria she would need to take a transit shuttle to Maria 4. The transit would only take minutes but it was a first for Hange. Since the government set up the three new space stations, Maria 2, Maria 3 dan Maria 4, Hange wondered whether the number of soldiers were increased too. The last space station she was in was quite cramped and had a few extensions built later to accommodate soldiers. However she heard that the new space stations had everything an army needed and so wouldn't need any more extensions.

Just like the pilot said, officers in pale blue top and white pants walked down the aisle to check for each passengers personal items. They were very friendly and advised to a passenger that he keep his pouch in the overhead compartment since it could not fit the pouch which was provided by his seat. He complied gratefully. After a few minutes the officers moved away and the pilot was broadcasting again.

" _We thank you for your cooperation. Flight will begin anytime now, please remain seated and strapped," the male voice said._

" _Thank you,"_ a female voice chipped in.

Hange found their voices very familiar but she was not familiar with the names Nanaba & Mike and so did not bother to think about them. She felt the engine whirr as people began chatting in anticipation of the carrier's flight. The last time Hange was on one of these passenger jet was six months ago after her punishment was set. And this being the flight that would return her to her beloved place made her a little giddy. The jet set off smoothly and Hange sat back on her chair enjoying the rush of flight.

Throughout the forty five minutes journey all Hange could see were the darkness of the sky and the brilliants stars surrounding the empire. She wondered for a second whether the other human survivors were as lucky as them. There were five known human surviving empires & republics who were in contact with the Fritz empire but none had actually travelled here. They would send robots instead which was solely to communicate intelligence and findings on their side of existence. However the information were nothing new since it would be five years before the robots in jets arrive and by that time Fritzians, as Hange called herself, have already made a similar discovery to them. But studying the comparison between technology was something too so in return Fritzian scientist sent a robot in return though it would take another five years before it reach any survivors.

Hange's head was by now exploding with notions and realizations even from watching starts, since she couldn't hold her comm tabb to write while the carrier jet was in motion she resorted to memorizing her thoughts in her mind. After a few minutes though, Hange was asleep. She had spent her last night at Stohess taking a stroll around Stohess University campus and thought about her memories here. Some of which she would miss but mostly she would not. That was how far she was invested in returning back to Maria than starting a career with Stohess Uni.

* * *

"Wakey wakey my dearest, we have arrived at Maria," a voice woke her. Hange blinked into consciousness and looked directly into blue eyes and when her eyes moved upwards, she saw coiffed blonde hair.

"Hange!" the woman said in recognition and hugged the scientist. Hange was unsure who this person in pilot uniform was but then the woman let go and answered. "It's me Nanaba, err Walter."

Hange smiled in recognition and then unbuckled her seat and got up, she eyed the woman wearing a white shirt with epaulets on both shoulders. The blonde person was also wearing a pair of dark pants with shiny black shoes. "Walter? Oh it's been such a long time, you are a pilot now?" Hange asked as she wheeled back in her head for memories from years ago. Walters, she remembered one Walters who was a short twelve years old girl who was her playmate in her past.

"You were never good with names anyway, only good with facts. We were in primary school together, remember? But back then we were wannabe masculines only known by our last names. You are still known as Hange seeing that your name tag here, and I have grown taller. Hey, I am tall, like you now," Nanaba said gleefully.

Hange glanced at her own military jacket she was wearing with her name tag on it. She smiled and confirmed Nanaba's words.

"Yep, tall, finally. You look fabulous Nanaba. You with the military air force?" Hange asked as she grabbed for her comm tabs strapped safely in the pouch beside her seat and pulled Nanaba in a hug. "Sorry, I really should browse my old albums to jog my memories."

Nanaba patted Hange in the back and they walked side by side to exit the passenger carrier. When they set foot on the platform Nanaba passed Hange her comms tab and they exchanged contact details via wireless ID. Hange started scrolling down Nanaba public profile and saw that Nanaba was smiling in a white sundress with a flower wreath on her head and a taller man by her side.

"That's my husband and also co-pilot for today, Mike Zacharias. Oh there he is, let me introduce you both," Nanaba said as she pulled Hange's arm towards a goateed man wearing a similar uniform.

As they approached the man Nanaba hugged the man and introduced them, "Hange, Mike is my husband. Mike, Hange is my old friend from school."

Mike made a face as Nanaba shook her head, so Mike extended his hand. Hange was aware of this exchange but was too polite to ask what they were onto, so she took Mike's hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, so where do you both live?"

"In Hermiha, but we bunk in Maria 3 when we are working. Where are you heading Hange?" Nanaba inqured.

"Maria 4, it's my first time seeing the new ships. I haven't seen any picture of it yet, by the way I am with the Survey Legion so if you are ever there give me a call."

"That's brave. I will sure give you a call, we have a lot to catch up," Nanaba said as she held on to Hange's hand like old times. Hange reminded herself that she should take time to reconnect with Nanaba when she had free time in about two week. Nanaba was being keen here and that made Hange feel affectionate at her old friend.

"Anyway we we need to report back for the next flight back. Have a nice day Hange," Nanaba caught Hange in a hug and then let go. Mike waved at Hange and they were soon walking away. While Nanaba was walking she turned once and waved at Hange. Hange reminded herself to salvage this newfound friendship, she had few friends anyway and she had liked Nanaba even years ago.

Hange was suddenly left alone at the platform and blinked at her surroundings. Space station Maria was now the main spaceport for the stations in Wall Maria and also before any ship heads out to the outer space. In Hange's eyes there were only slight changes made, for example there were now more signboards pointing to various directions for newcomers and Hange searched for the one pointing to Maria 4. She followed the directions which brought her to an escalator up two floors and finally a registration counter for the transit carrier.

As Hange walked in and scanned her finger the barrier opened for her to enter. She walked into the spacious waiting area where less than ten people were sitting. Hange thought about sitting next to the entrance so she did not have to walk far when the transit jet arrive. So she sat down and activated her comm tab to check on her emails.

She was scrolling for emails from the administrations of Stohess University final email to her, wishing her good luck and some emails from her work friends containing pictures from their farewell dinners. She smiled at them and saved them to her cloud storage. SHe would need to send them some army souvenirs later while the farewell was still fresh.

Then Hange heard an announcement over the speakers, a transit jet from Maria 4 was on its way there and would dock for twenty minutes before the next transit to Maria 4. The voice asked that passengers for the next departure to be on standby inside the designated waiting area while their luggages were being loaded into the transit jet. Hange then heard the loud engine of the transit jet which were old models of space fighters which had been transformed into people carriers. They used to be in black and grey but when Hange saw the one arriving via the transparent glasses, she saw that they have been repainted yellow with white stripes.

Hange watched as the jet landed inside the port and the engine shutting down. Mechanical arms attached a gray passenger tube to the jet's door to enable passengers to enter the space port in an oxygenated environment. Other passengers around her were also doing the same as her which was watching the ship dock. She wondered whether they were all armies or just families visiting their precious ones working on Maria 4 who could not travel for the new year holiday. There were two ladies sitting side by side, one was older while the other was around Hange's age. Then there were men sitting on their own, two of them were wearing standard army uniforms but were not from the Scouting Legion. Hange looked at her uniform and wondered whether her peers were still wearing ones like hers or had they made a new one. Then the door opened and a dozen people from the transit jet originating from Maria 4 walked in.

Hange watched them and after the first ten people walked past her she saw someone in a Scouting Legion outing uniform walk towards her. The person was looking at her and Hange was surprised at first. The person stopped in front of her and then sighed.

"You wear one of those standard glasses? Stohess gave you boring things. Luckily I already booked an appointment with an ophthal.." the person sat down beside Hange as they struggled with the word, "ophthalmologist for your new goggles. You can't wear such shitty glasses on the field. And Erwin is made Commander from today, as Shadis is retiring, so he is kissing Titan's ass goodbye."

Hange turned to the person, "Levi, you came for me?"

"Of course I did, Erwin wanted to come but he had to report to Zackley, so I am stuck here with you."

"Your luggage is in the ship?" Levi said as he eyed the ship.

Hange smiled gleefully, she couldn't believe that Levi was here for her. She did not want to jinx his appearance by asking stupid questions.

"By the way you have to be escorted inside since you don't have proper identification, that's the second reason I am here," Levi said as he crossed his leg and placed his shoulder on the back of his seat. He was inches away from touching Hange but Hange did not notice that of course.

"Thank you for the birthday wish."

Hange then remembered that she had Levi's gift in her luggage but she saw no reason to tell Levi about it, of course she would let him be surprised later.

"So, what's the first tjhing you want to do coming back here?" Levi asked. His frown was imminent as always and Hange laughed, she couldn't help it. This was not science fiction but somehow Levi was here, and for once she was not a scientist in a fiction.

"Applying for a grant to study Titan?" Hange said in between smiles.

Levi looked away but Hange saw the faint smirk on his face. She suspected that Erwin Smith must have discussed this with Levi while she was not there. Then she suddenly remembered, "Why did Shadis retire?"

Levi turned to her and stretched his hand.

In the back of her mind, she knew it was going to be fine, Hange Zoe was home.


End file.
